Released: 8 October 2021

Madonna brings ‘Madame X’ to life with her new live album. 

Recorded during her hit 2019/2020 global theatre tour, the record is accompanied by a documentary feature of the same name, offering unprecedented access to the Queen of Pop while on the road. 

The trek was a challenge for Madonna, who endured multiple injuries and, upon wrapping, underwent a hip replacement and knee surgery to correct the damage. 

But if the tour was gruelling, there’s no sign of struggle, as she fires hit after hit, segueing seamlessly between cuts from her 40-year catalog and her most recent studio album. 

In total, the concert features 11 tracks from ‘Madame X’, along with career highlights including classics Vogue, Human Nature, Frozen and Like a Prayer. 

The shift from vast arenas to intimate theatres forced the singer-songwriter to adapt her most popular songs from crowd-pleasing anthems, not only showcasing the strength of Madonna’s creative output, but feeding into the ‘Madame X’ narrative.

In fact, it’s the new songs – the singles and album tracks – that stand their own here and, in a live setting, realise the concept of the record. 

God Control is a natural opener, while Dark Ballet and Killers Who Are Partying are meant for the stage. Lead single Medellin has never sounded better.

Casual fans might be disappointed by the lack of hits across the 20-track set – this is not a greatest hit collection, quite the opposite – but the select songs that make the set all serve a purpose. 

American Life wouldn’t be out of place on the ‘Madame X’ album, while other reworkings play into the concept of the era – aside from Vogue, the only outlier in the set. 

Madonna’s latest live album might be intended as a counterpart to the Paramount+ documentary, but as a standalone release it perfectly captures the ‘Madame X’ Tour and reaffirms that she is and remains at the top of her game.